Sunday, January 30, 2011

Pomegranates are being hailed as a super-food which can protect the heart.

Scientists in Israel have shown that drinking a daily glass of the fruit's juice can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

"Pomegranate juice contains the highest antioxidant capacity compared to other juices, red wine and green tea," said Professor Michael Aviram, who led the team.

This is good news, for antioxidants are the naturally occurring substances in plants that protect the body from free radicals - 'bad' chemicals in the blood.

Free radicals alter cholesterol in a process known as oxidation, which is thought to speed up the hardening of the arteries.

In studies at the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, the juice of the fruit was found to slow down cholesterol oxidation by almost half, and reduce the retention of LDL.

That is the 'bad' cholesterol which forms atherosclerotic lesions, the fatty deposits which narrow the arteries and lead to heart disease.

"Antioxidants can protect us against the oxidative stress in our industrialised world, such as pollution, chemicals, viruses and bacteria, and consequently cardiovascular diseases and cancer," said Professor Aviram.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

This 2 tier sandwich has a unique flavor as it has ingredients like celery, oregano and olive oil in one tier and a tangy mint chutney to compliment it in another tier.

I prepared this sandwich recently for my hubby and he loved it as it had a lot of flavors embedded in it with a mild crunch to dig your teeth into. I can guarantee this sandwich with its refreshing flavors would win many hearts.!!

Ingredients

For tier 1 filling

Sliced Onion

Sliced Tomato

Sliced Cucumber

Sliced Carrot

For mint chutney

1 cup mint leaves

1/4 cup coriander

1 green chilli

1/2 tsp cummin powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

salt to taste

For Tier 2 filling

2 tbsp chopped celery

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1/4 cup onion

1/4 cup chopped bell pepper

1/4 chopped tomatoes

1/4 tsp dry oregano

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and chilli flakes to taste

2-3 tbsp grated cheese (optional)

Procedure

Take all the ingredients of chutney and grind to a fine paste and keep aside.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Wish you all a very happy pongal and may every year be filled with prosperity and joy.

As per tradition we prepared pongal , vada with tamarind chutney and radish sambar for breakfast today ... I did not have the time to write the recipes but I am sure all of you would know how to prepare them : )

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Chintapandu (Tamarind) rice is commonly prepared in our household during festival times. This was prepared recently . This version is the traditional andhra style and it has got a nice tangy flavor. It is a tradition to prepare bobbatlu too ( and this is a wonderful combination for festival times). So here is the recipe for tamarind rice andhra style.

Ingredients

1 cup rice

a big lemon size tamarind soak in 1 cup water

4 red chillies

1 tbsp channa dal

1 tbsp urad dal

1 tsp musturd seeds

1/8 tsp fenugreek seeds

3 springs curry leaves

1 green chilli

1/8 tsp hing

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp jaggery

1/8 cup oil

salt to taste

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

Cooking procedure

Soak the tamarind in warm water for 30 min ,then nicely squeeze and extract the pulp and keep aside

Cook the rice with 2 cups of water and with a 1 tsp oil in pressure cooker for 3 whistles .

Dry roast coriander seeds and methi seeds till a nice aroma came n let it cool after that make a fine powder and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan add chana dal,urad dal ,mustard seeds ,fenugeerk seeds and when mustard seeds starts to splutter add red chilli,curry leaves,turmeric and hing and stir for 30 sec ,then add tamarind pulp and jaggery and stir n cook till the mixture become a thick and when oil begins to saturate switch off the flame and let it cool.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Ridge Gourd vegetable which is known as beerakaya in telegu is used to make a dosa which is very healthy breakfast alternative to regular dosa.Ridge gourd is also known by other names such as loofah, luffa, turai, turiya, tori etc. Originally believed to be originated in the Arabic desserts, this vegetable has spread throughout the world.It is very colorfull and tasty dosa .The preparation process is very simple too. Serves 8-10 dosas

Friday, January 7, 2011

Hi blog buddies hope you all enjoyed your new year, thank you for all your wishes and bearing my absence ... today my niece Rithika asked me why I was not posting any recipes, she is 7 years old and I realized its time I get back to blogging.

I am dedicating this yummy cinnamon coated chocochip cookie to her.I am sure any kid will enjoy it as they got a nice soft texture and a mild crunchy feel with a yummy flavor, try this and I am sure you would enjoy it too.

Preparation time :15 min

Baking time :15 min

Makes :24 cookie

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup butter

3/4 superfine sugar

2 tsp orange extract

1/2 cup semisweet chocochip

For cinnamon coating

2 tbsp superfine sugar

2 tbsp ground cinnamon powder

Baking Procedure

Put the Microwave to convection mode and preheat to 275 F/190 C,line the cookie sheets with parchment paper

Take a bowl and mix butter and sugar nicely, add orange extract then add flour,salt and mix nicely. Then add chocochip and mix till all are blended completely. Keep aside

For coating mix the sugar and cinnamon powder.Keep aside in a plate.

Divide the dough into 24 parts,roll each into a ball,then roll the ball on the cinnamon mixture nicely. And press lightly.

Now lay the cookies on the cookie sheet and bake for 15 min or till golden brown.

Immediately remove from oven and let it cool completely on the cooling rack.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Hi my dear blog friends ... its 2011 !! and with it comes new hope of a year full of opportunities. It s been almost 8 months I started the blog !! and made so many friends online. I look forward to this year to learn more from you all ...

I am sorry I have been not posting neither commenting to your wonderfull recipes for the past two months as I was in a holiday mood after coming back to India for good ... my home .... I promise to post many super yummy recipes soon ...

Award

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Cooking has been a journey I began after marriage.
But as the saying goes to win a man's heart you have to go through his stomach.Having seen the joy in my husband eyes I think every women should learn cooking even if it means to go the extra mile.
This blog is for all those girls who want to win their man's heart